


Warmth in the Cold

by 2space_lesbo1



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Baby Yoda is adorable, Bounty Hunting, Gen, Hints at Mando'a Culture, Mando Is Trying His Best, Mando'a, Minor Violence, made up planet, minor blood, outsider's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21779911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2space_lesbo1/pseuds/2space_lesbo1
Summary: Her bounty was close.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 339





	Warmth in the Cold

**Author's Note:**

> hehehehehe this was another suggestion.... again i can't remember who left it but they did and their comment was so sweet and i appreciated it
> 
> i appreciate all comments too ofc tho
> 
> this is beta read the mistakes are NOT mine blame Tyler 
> 
> outsider povs are hard to write
> 
> LEAVE MORE IDEAS IN COMMENTS BLS! 
> 
> no spoilers for ep 6 i haven't seen it yet

The planet she’d landed on was a cold one. Okay, scratch that, it was beyond cold, and beyond freezing. If it wasn't for the special thermal paddings in her suit, she probably would have already succumbed to the harsh winds hours ago. She would have laid down in a particularly comfortable spot of snow, closed her eyes, and would have fallen into a deep sleep. 

Be that as it may, her fob racket was growing louder, and she knew she was getting closer. Her beskar armor weighs heavily on her shoulders, on her head, as she works to track down this bounty that would win her Tribe a large prize. Her cape flaps put behind her, and she is nearly tempted to release its clasps on her shoulders and let the wind carry it away. But that would be a waste. It was made from a precious, blaster resistant fabric, helping her in shoot outs or other fights. The armorer has seen it fit to award it for her after she'd brought down a rancor with barely any more than her fists and a pistol. It had the rancor in the center of the cape as her earned sigil, and showed her strength and bravery in battle. 

Now snow crunches beneath her feet, the sensation familiar. She mostly visited desert or tundra like planets, finding those to better fit her abilities than any others. And, she didn't prefer locals much, sticking to wandering far around a village’s edge instead of venturing inside. She really only goes to interact with others if it's her Covenant, if she needs supplies, or if her quarry decides to try and take hostages. 

Not that it mattered much. It seems her target was currently in the middle of nowhere on this nothing planet, trying their best to hide from any and all bounty hunters that want to get their hands on the prize. Perhaps they believed that coming out on this freezing cold planet would deter any others from following, since most species would rather stay out of cold places. 

Too bad it wasn't going to deter her. 

She has to admire their tenacity, though. For them to get this far was impressive, especially with the entire guild after them. They were the prize of all prizes. And she was going to be the one to bring them in. 

Then, she would finally return to her Covenant after months of absence. She would finally have a large enough reward to return with and prove herself. 

These were her thoughts. Until she climbs one final hill between her and her prize, and releases a heavy sigh, her breath escaping from beneath her helmet in large clouds. 

A small village is nestled in the center of many hills, getting protected from the brunt of the wind her. Though, it did cast it further into shade, she could see many bonfires on all corners of the village, surrounded by glass but keeping the snow at bay. In the center of these fires was one large patch of dirt and rock buildings, the residents- large, furry things- lumbered about. 

At least they weren't other humans. 

She hated other humans, if they weren't Covenant. 

She stops at the top of the hill, and does unclasp her cape from her shoulders now. She lays it across the snow in front of her, and lays down on top of it, pulling binocs from her side. She peers through them, taking note of everyone of the villagers. Most of them looked alike. 

All except for one, who was a small, green looking thing with the largest ears she'd ever seen. 

Her target. 

She hadn't thought it'd be so small. 

Not that it mattered, it was her target. And she was going to capture it. 

She pushed to her feet, returning the bionics on her belt, and clasping her cape back on her shoulders. She would have to plan this carefully if the villagers were trying to protect this child; she didn't like more violence than was ever needed, and preferred to keep innocents out of her work. 

She'd have to work her towards the center of the village, then. Close enough to be able to grab it and make a break for it. Not the best plan, considering things, but she was never really good at plan making. She liked to run in with the basics of an idea and wing things from there. It was easier to her, at least. She was a quick thinker in the moment, not before the action started happening. 

She slowly approaches the village, beginning to recognize the villagers as the planet’s resident species. Humans don't often come to this planet- or many other species, for that matter- because it was so cold, and they didn't want to deal with it. She couldn't remember their species name, but she knew the basic language of this system if she needed to use it. If they didn't know the galaxy’s basic, that is. 

The first creature to notice her meets her at the edge of the village, taking a deep sniff at her scent with its large nose. One of its four ears twitches, its single eye narrowing. 

“What is your business here, traveler?” it asked, and she was glad it knew basic. Its voice was a deep baritone, though she recognized it to be female. “We do not get many visitors. Especially this close, or this similar.” 

“Similar?” she asked in return. Was there another Mandalorian nearby? But that wouldn't make much sense; if there was another, they would have already captured the bounty. Maybe it was an imposter, then, using their culture as a way of free lodging. The thought makes her grit her teeth in anger. 

“You are a Mandalorian, are you not?” the villager said, raising her single eyebrow. The universal expression of questioning. “Another of your people came here a few days ago with a child.” 

“Is that so?” she said, thoughtfully. 

“Anyhow,” the villager continued, another of her many ears flickering. This area was much warmer, the heat of the glass encircled fires seeping through her armor and padding. “Are you too looking for lodging? We haven't much left, but perhaps you and the other Mandalorian could work something out if you're planning to help us with our problem.” 

She thinks on this for a moment. She could see who this “other Mandalorian” was. If he wasn't actually one of her brothers, she would easily overpower him. But if he was, she could see why he hasn't taken the target in for the high reward of beskar yet, and was instead hiding away with it on this outer rim planet. 

“Where are they?” she asked. 

“He went out about an hour ago, to survey the land,” the villager replied. “He said he wanted to see what he was up against.” 

“And the child?” 

“He left him to be watched by us,” the villager said, and points to the green creature from before. It had stopped playing with one of the resident children to look over at her, its eyes large and taking up nearly half of its face. Then, it lets out a childish laugh and starts to toddle towards her, its three fingered hands raised in the air above its head. Its large ears wriggle with every tiny step it takes and eventually it was standing directly in front of her, scraping its claws along the metal of her leg. 

The fob tracker grows louder in sound, and the creature’s ears perk at the sound. 

She pauses, knowing now was going to be her easiest moment to take the child and leave. She could pick it up and run, since she would be able to easily outrun the creatures. They were made for warmth and defense instead of speed and agility, after all. But something was stopping her. Maybe it was the pair of large, brown eyes staring up at her, or the way this child trusted her so quickly and readily. She had always had a soft spot for the young foundlings that could be found running around wherever the Covenant had set base for the time being, but this should be different. Shouldn't it be? It was her target, after all. 

The child coos up at her, and scrapes her leg again. She crouches to be at a closer height, and it laughs again, making grabby hands at her helmet. It did seem to be comfortable and familiar with Mandalorian armor and helmets. But still, that didn't necessarily prove anything until she saw this other “Mandalorian” first. If it was one of her brothers, then that could mean he'd adopted this youngling as his own, and that he was now a foundling of the Covenant, no matter the large bounty on his head. But again, she wouldn't know until he returned. 

So for now, she holds a hand out to the creature, that takes it and begins to tug at one of her fingers excitedly. Its hands were so small, it could only wrap it around one of her much larger fingers. She feels a smile threaten to over take her, but she forces it down, even though no other would be able to see it. 

She stands up again, not to her full height to allow the child to continue to hold onto her finger, and lets herself be led by this strange being. The villagers watch her and the creature go, something of smiles on their muzzles. 

The child continues to “drag” her along- when really if she'd pulled any way backwards, the child would topple over- until they return to the spot it and the other children had been playing at. The village children stare up at her with their single eyes, blinking curiously at yet another strange visitor. 

Her finger is released a moment later, and the child continues to tottle on. It grabs something and then returns to her, holding something in its three fingered grasp. She crouches down once more, and holds a hand out once it'd tugged on the edge of her cape, a tiny hand reaching towards her own. She holds her hand out and the child squeaks happily, dropping what appeared to be some kind of blue, glowing vegetation into her hand. Must be one of the planet’s native flowers, that only grows in the centers of towns, then, where they can find warmth on this otherwise cold planet. 

A smile does force its way onto her lips as she looks down at the flower, unable to stop it. She uses her other hand to rub at one of the large ears, earning a pleased chirp from the creature it was attached to. 

“Thank you,” she said, and the child’s ears perk at the sound of her voice. It tilts its head to the side, as thought confused, before it giggles, looking behind her. 

Her body tenses at a rough voice speaking behind her, “Get away from him.” The child laughs and runs around her, arms raised once more, and she raises her own slowly. That voice was modified by some kind of mask or helmet, and it held no room for argument. 

She slowly peers over her shoulder, now able to see the man behind her is dressed in a complete set of beskar armor, and was currently holding the child to his chest.His free hand was holding a pistol towards her back. A small number of the villagers had gathered around, and now the only sound in the area was the wind above and the fob tracker continuing to beep at her side. 

There goes her stealth. 

She decides she should try and test to see if he was a true Mandalorian. Just because someone dressed as one, meant nothing, unless they spoke their language. 

“Aliit ori’shya tal’din,” she said, easily slipping into that familiar and comforting language. She had not spoken in such a long time, and hadn't even realized how much she'd missed it. 

There's a shifting of feet behind her, and she can see the man lowering his pistol. “Ner vod,” he said a second later, and she releases a breath she had not realized she was holding. Especially as she takes the voice in, recognizes it. 

“Dyn! Su cuy’gar!” she exclaimed, and stands, turning to face him, smirking beneath her helmet. She holds a hand out for a greeting. 

Her brother shakes his head, probably in exasperation, but takes her hand in his tightly. He nods to her, and she nods back. “Su cuy’gar, Lyna,” he said in return. 

They knew one another. From the Covenant, before they'd gone their separate ways. They'd been brought into the Tribe at similar times, learning the Way side by side to one another, and growing with one another. She'd have to consider him a friend, if she ever had to claim one. She hadn't seen him since she'd left to find large prizes for the Covenant after her defeat of the rancor all those months ago. 

“I should have known it was you,” Dyn said, and she could hear the hardly recognizable trace of amusement in his voice. He had always been a harder one to read, even for her, but because they were so close, she knew him better than most. “Your sigil looks as much like a di’kut as I remembered it.” 

She scoffs. “This coming from the Mandalorian without a sigil at all,” she said pointedly. 

“I don't need one,” he said, and when the child in his arms coos, he obediently sets it on the ground. It toddles back towards her, grinning up at her and tugging at one of her hands. 

“Is this your foundling?” she asked, crouching down once more. The child happily peels her fingers back, revealing the glowing flower she still was holding. He giggles happily and claps his hands together. “Because last I checked, you weren't the caregiver to the most wanted bounty in the galaxy.” As she says this, she pulls the fob tracker free and smashes it into the ground. She wouldn't be needing that anymore. 

“Same here,” he said, watching the kid closely. Definitely his foundling. “But as it turns out, I couldn't simply give the little guy in for the reward.” 

“I don't believe I would have been able to, either, if it had gotten to that,” she said with a small laugh, running her finger along one of the large ears. The kid giggles again, and attempts to catch her much larger hand with one of his own, standing on the tips of his toes to do so. 

“Did they not tell you he was being guarded by a Mandalorian?” Dyn asked, with something like accusation in his tone. Her gaze darts to his masked face, and she knows he could she’s glaring beneath her own helmet. She stands to her full height, easily towering over him, jabbing a finger into his chest plate. 

“Do you really believe I'd hunt one of my brothers?” she demanded, letting her irritability at his accusation be clear in her voice. “No, of course they didn't tell me there was a Mandalorian with him. Just a traitor of the Guild.” 

Dyn sighs heavily, and looks down at the child. She calms down as well, stepping back as the other Mandalorian scoops the small creature into his arms. The child allows this to happen, chittering up at his caregiver, claws tapping on the metal of his chest plate. Dyn rubs a hand over both of his ears, and she watches quietly, respectfully. A foundling and their caregiver’s relationship was the most special of all, and one shouldn’t trifle with it. And it was quite clear that Dyn cared deeply about the tiny foundling in his arms; from the way he was slightly, and probably unconsciously, rocking back and forth, to the soft mutterings in their shared language and the way he was looking at the kid. Most people wouldn't be able to tell because of the helmet, but she knows a look of love when she sees one. 

“I haven’t returned to the Tribe since I got him,” Dyn explains after a minute or so, as though just remembering she was there. “It's just too dangerous to take him there for everyone there right now.” He pauses. “I have to wait for his bounty to die down.” 

“Doesn't seem like it will, any time soon,” she said apologetically. “Every hunter I've run into has a fob tracker for the little guy.” Dyn curses under his breath. “Luckily, I'm pretty sure I'm the only hunter who's made it to this planet, so there's that.” Dyn doesn't say anything now, only staring into large eyes. “What are you facing now, for the villagers?” 

That breaks Dyn’s silence again. Business. “A small group of thugs,” he replied, and he turns to walk, gesturing for her to follow. She does. “They've been raiding the town every other day or so. I'm going to deal with them for the payment of lodging.” 

“Need any help with that?” she inquired, and they step into one of the stone huts that was more to the side. A thick, black curtain serves as the door and the covers for the windows that are carved from the walls. Not a lot of privacy. “I might as well lend a hand since I'm here.” 

Dyn seems to take this into consideration as he places the child on a small mattress in the corner, bars surrounding the edges like a mini jail. The foundling grips one of the edges and chirps at her for her attention, which she obligingly offers. He hops on his toes, giggling up at her. 

“Would you mind?” he asked her, and she knows that is a ‘yes’ from him. 

“It wouldn't be a bother at all,” she replied. “Though I do believe we’re sharing our lodging.” She grins beneath her helmet. “Just like old times, eh?” 

Dyn groans. “Great. There goes my space on the bed,” he mutters, and she scoffs. 

“Oh please,” she said. “You're the largest starfish on any bed I've ever seen. And you steal blankets!” 

“We don't even use blankets,” Dyn shot back, and she snickers. 

“Oh, I must have been stealing them all, then,” she said, and Dyn playfully knocks her on the shoulder. “I'm going to go scout these thugs out myself. Where are they located, and what info you got on them?” 

Dyn sobers up just as quickly as she does. “They're to the west of the village,” he explained. “They're staying in a cave, and they're not natives.” 

“Why would non natives want to stay here?” she asked aloud, not expecting an answer, really. 

“The villagers are easy pickings for them,” he said. “They raid the town and they get easy food. Regular situation.” 

“How many of them are there?” 

“I counted five. Could be more, though. They're huge, too.” 

She nods, and heads for the entrance of the building. “I'll go scope them out. Make sure you counted right,” she said, brushing the curtain aside. She glances back to see Dyn crouching beside the child’s crib, holding a finger out that a tiny hand was grabbing at. Adorable. “Shouldn't be gone long.” 

“Stay downwind of them,” he said, and he grabs a bowl of chopped food, which he begins to feed into the child’s small mouth. The child hums happily, accepting each piece and chewing. “They seem to have a good sense of smell.” 

She nods again, and steps back outside, cape flapping behind her as she leaves the village, snow buffeting her helmet and armor. She heads west, just as Dyn had told her, eventually coming upon a cave yawning open in the side of a cliff’s face, opposite of the ever howling breeze. She crouches where she stands, and pulls her binocs into her hands, holding them up to gaze through them. 

She instantly catches sight of two of the strange creatures, which she assumes to be thugs. They too are furry, though they are quadrupedal with arms beneath their chins. A large nose sits in the center of their ugly, flat faces, a pair of huge eyes on either side. They are on either side of the cave, which goes deeper than expected, with a small fire between them. She zooms in, now able to see the back of the cave, spotting three more of the creatures. They were gnawing on the bones of the resident animals here, which she'd seen in a large pile at the center of the village. They must have gotten some from there. 

She scans the cliff face as well, for any weapons or other caves. She spots other hollowed areas, but none that could be deep enough to be another cave. She also catches sight of a gathering of loose hanging boulders a tad higher above the cave mouth, and could already tell they’d be able to use those to their advantage.

She stays there for another hour or so, watching their movements and patterns. They seem to have some kind of tension between one another, the largest of them having to knock their heads to get them to act calm again. They acted a lot like intelligent animals, only smarter than a rancor but dumber than a human. 

After another few minutes, she straightens, and turns to return to the village. The three dwarf suns were setting, and it was growing dark as the first moon of this planet’s night cycle rose before her. She begins to trudge her way back through the snow, stopping at the faintest sound of a doorstep near her. 

She turns instantly, knife out- using a blaster could be heard by the others- and that's when one of the creatures from the cave- or, a sixth one she had not seen- comes barreling towards her, its jaws unhinged in a mighty roar. She has to dodge to the side as the creature swipes at her with one of its arms, narrowly missing her head. She ends up balancing with one of her hands, and leaps into the back, grabbing a fist full of the scraggly fur, stabbing the knife into the back of the creature’s thick neck. 

It roars, and grabs at her cape, tossing her to the ground. She leaves the knife there, pulling another from her belt, and racing forward, throwing her hand up as the creature rears backwards, preparing to slap at her with one of its clawed hands. But she beats it, pushing off the ground and stabbing the dagger through the bottom of its neck, the tips of the knives meeting on the middle of its throat. She pushes off of its chest and lands in the snow as it begins to gurgle, choking on its own blood, clawing at the knives. But it is too late for the beast. 

It falls to its side, and the snow at its neck is already standing red. 

She draws a deep breath, her lungs and throat stinging with the cold. She grabs both knives and yanks both free, placing them back in their place on her belt. She stays tense, listening for any other sign of trouble. She does not hear anymore footsteps, so she quickly makes her way back to the village. 

Dyn looks up, hand on the handle of his pistol as she entered, the child sat in his lap. His cape is draped across the bed, and the child’s ears perk up at her entrance. He coos towards her. 

“He was almost asleep,” Dyn muttered, followed by a soft curse. She snorts. 

“There was six of them,” she said, heading to the bed on the other side of the room. She throws herself on top of it, resting her head on one of the pillows. 

“Was?”

“The sixth attacked me. I killed it.” 

“So they know you're here?” his voice was rising, as though he thought she'd made a mistake, and he was getting angry at her. She scoffs. 

“You really think I'm that sloppy?” she snapped. “No. It wasn't with the rest of them, and I killed it with some knives.”

Dyn seems to relax a little at the information. She shifts, placing her hands beneath her head. “You see the boulders above their cave?” he asks her. She nods. “You thinking what I'm thinking?” 

“If you haven't gotten boring since I last saw you,” she replied, grinning beneath her helmet. She knew he was, too. “Then you know I am.” 

“We can fully plan our attack tomorrow,” Dyn said, and his knee is bouncing. The child giggles, ears flopping with the movement, but he seemed to enjoy it. Maybe he likes the attention. “The kid needs sleep for now.”

She watches without responding for a second, curious of Dyn’s behavior. “You know, I’ve never seen you like this before,” she stated, and Dyn paused in his movements, turning his visor towards her. She shrugs, and explains. “You know. Nice. Good with kids. Normally you’re just so… quiet, ya know?”

He hums his response, and ends up cradling the child in his arms now, not seeming to care that she is watching anymore. The child coos up at him, grabbing at his helmet. The sight warms her heart, seeing Dyn so gentle, so happy. 

“Well, I guess getting a youngling who depends on you can change you,” he said, his voice going soft as he looked down at the kid he was holding. The child coos again, and Dyn pulls him closer. 

“Yeah, I guess it would, huh,” she said. 

A silence falls over the room then, and she listens to the world around her. She could hear the crackling of the large fires, the whistling of the wind, the flapping of curtains, and the shuffling of the villagers moving about. She then hears footsteps, but recognizes them as Dyn, and he’s then sitting on the mattress beside her, making the fluff it was made of bunch together. She moves, making more room for him to lay down as well. This wouldn’t be the first time that the two had shared a bed. They used to bunk together all the time while on trips growing up, and sometimes even at the covenants base when they ran out of beds. They were both used to sharing beds with other people. 

“Night, Dyn,” she said over her shoulder, curling on her side. It was always hard for her to sleep in her armor, and she preferred sleeping without it, but she didn’t mind it. Especially since there were so many other beings around. She hated being without her armor with creatures near her. Just in case. 

“Night, Lyna,” he replied.

They both fall asleep.

And then she’s awoken by Dyn moving beside her. She’s used to him sleeping still as a long, not moving once he’s asleep, and only moving again when he’d wake up again. She peers at the nearest window to her, and sees that it was still dark outside. She frowns, and watches Dyn move across the room, only now noticing the small cries coming from the child’s crib. 

“K’uur, ad’ika,” he is saying as he bends over the side of the crib, gently picking the child up and into his arms. She has to smile at his words, recalling in the back of her mind the dark nights her own caregiver would say those exact words to her, fingers carding through along her scalp. Dyn was a wonderful caregiver. “Baatir, ad’ika. Kar’taylir.” 

The child continues to whine, even as his caregiver speaks soothingly. Dyn’s gaze shoots to her, and she stays still, not wanting to intrude, to interrupt. He then uses one hand to grab at the bottom of his helmet, and her eyes widen. She quickly screws them shut, and can hear him setting it on the table beside the crib. His voice is more smooth, more gentle now, not changed by the vocoder of his helmet. She stays silent, unable to believe the situation. The child quiets, giggles. He seems to have calmed at the true face of his caregiver.

Dyn had truly found a family. He wouldn’t have taken his helmet off for anyone else. The foundling he was cradling did not even realize the significance of this moment, how important it was to her or Dyn, and especially their culture.

She smiles, and returns to sleep, leaving them to their privacy.

**Author's Note:**

> hhhhhhhhh


End file.
